Q
by OshareFukurou
Summary: The city abandoned after an unfortunate accident. A project is set to make it habitable once more, and the government assigns a special team to begin work. But, in a toxic wasteland, caution is a must.
1. As We Lay to Rest

Standard disclaimers apply: no ownership over VOCALOID, no profit being made, not a native English speaker and typos + grammatical errors are imminent.

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_ch00_: **As We Lay to Rest**

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It was surreal.

The feeling of everything disappearing.

So painfully slow, yet it seems like time passed by too fast.

Too fast to comprehend what was happening.

Emergency sirens were blaring. Bright lights were flashing everywhere. Children were crying as their parents fruitlessly tried to calm them down. People were running, pushing one another out of the way just so their chances of escape would increase. The yelling, the sobbing, the sounding of alarms - a strangely marvelous cacophony.

Amid all the chaos, some people lay unconscious. Eyes closed and breathing shallow, drowning in a peaceful sleep.

.

Peaceful.

.

Peaceful.

.

Peaceful.

.

Then, helicopters came swooping down and tanks were coming from the north. Armed men came rushing out, holding firearms. Some people ran towards them; eyes red from crying, a few were even holding out their children. They clung to the armored men, voices as loud as the alarms. And others, they backed away, ran - they were the smarter ones.

"PLEASE! SAVE US!"

"TAKE ME WITH YOU!"

"I CAN'T DIE HERE!"

"SAVE MY PRECIOUS LITTLE GIRL!"

And their voices were cut off, one by one, each by the sound of gunfire. Bullets pierced through flesh, blood spilled and the panic escalated. Now these people were scrambling to get away, pulling down someone blocking their way, pushing away whoever is in the path of escape. What is sympathy, at the cost of your life?

The armored men continued, seemingly never running out of bullets. Shooting down everyone. Leaving no one alive.

They were told to. Orders were orders, after all.

After hours, so many long hours, the cries were gone. The alarms had gone off, the lights had long burnt out, and the people were quiet. Everything was finally still.

Everything was finished.

It was peaceful.

.

Peaceful.

.

Peaceful.

.

**Peaceful.**


	2. Waking Up to 'Now' -a

Standard disclaimers apply.

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_ch01-a:_ **Waking Up to 'Now'**

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"...and later this week, Project Restart will be put into action."

"Ah, it's finally safe to approach the area so the project can begin?"

"Apparently so. It's been seventy years since the nuclear plant explosion at _XXX_ city. According to tests, the radiation has weakened over the years. Of course, they'll still require some form of protection."

"Speaking of that event, it was a terrifying ordeal. Once the news spread, it felt like everything was at a standstill. It was so eerie..."

"But now time's going to move forward again. And of course, none other than the VY Station will be there to record every minute of such a momentous event!"

"W-What?!"

"Eh? Didn't you hear me? I said that the VY Station will be accompanying the specialist team to _XXX _City on Project Restart."

"Uwah! Really?! _We'll_ be reporting on one of the biggest projects of the decade?! How cool!"

"Yep, that's right. We've been given the privilege to record the whole project."

"Tell me more!"

"I would, but it seems that our time is up."

"So you're just going to keep me hanging?!"

"I'm afraid so. But don't worry, we'll be giving you, and the audience of course, the rest of the details later during the evening news."

"But we don't even do the evening news!"

"You can watch the broadcast then."

"Still!"

"Anyways! This has been Yuma Nishizawa."

"And Mizki Ichinose!"

"Signing off for the morning news."

"Have a wonderful day everyone!"

A red light with the words '**ON AIR**' were turned off and the voices of the two hosts were joined in by those of other people.

"Alright, good job everyone," a stout, middle-aged man - Jinta Sasaki - spoke through a megaphone. As everyone else was busy clearing off the set, he gestured for Mizki and Yuma to come with him. The two stood up from their seats and followed the man to the exit.

Mizki Ichinose was a beautiful young woman; though she initially has the image of a graceful and traditional lady, with her straight, black hair just going a bit below her shoulder and how her dark blue eyes would often remind one of a person with a serious personality, she was quite the opposite. She was an endearing woman, a bit loud at times, and a very cheerful person.

Her friend, Yuma Nishizawa, on the other hand was very different. The young man was well renowned for his strange 'pigmentation', having bright pink hair - usually unkempt - and eyes the strangest shade of green. People would initially think of him a delinquent of sorts, assuming that he dyes his hair and wears contacts as a sign of rebellion (against what though, people have varying opinions). Unlike Mizki, he was a somewhat stoic person, but can be rather nice once people have gotten to know him.

The three left the set and proceeded down the empty hallway, silence accompanying them every step of the way. Jinta Sasaki kept three steps ahead of the two, and walked stiffly for some strange reason. The other two exchanged a look as soon as they noticed this, but didn't make too much of the situation.

"Sasaki-san, about the Project Restart thing.. is it for real?" Mizki asked as they continued walking down what seemed to be a never-ending hallway.

"Yes," Jinta Sasaki answered tersely and quickened his pace. Mizki turned to Yuma, a bemused expression on her face, and the latter merely shrugged.

The rest of the walk continued in the silence that Jinta Sasaki seemed to enjoy so much, until they finally stopped outside a door at the very end of the hallway. He turned the knob and pulled it open, gesturing for the two reporters to go inside before himself.

A single table occupied the room, with four chairs surrounding it. Two were already occupied by a young boy and girl, both wearing white lab coats.

The boy had hair almost the same shade of white as his attire. His mismatched eyes watched as Yuma and Mizki stood awkwardly beside each other. His lips were curled into a smile, one not quite reaching his eyes.

The girl had long red hair, tied into a ponytail. Golden-brown eyes, sharp and slanted - almost resembling that of a feline's - stared around the room in a bored manner.

"I'll be leaving the two to explain things to you then," Jinta Sasaki spoke out quietly, as if he was afraid to break the silence.

Yuma absently took note that he'd faintly heard the door shut; the silence, as cliche as it may be, was deafening.

The two co-workers watched one another from their peripheral vision, trying (and failing) not to make it too painfully obvious how nervous they were feeling.

A loud cough garnered their attention and they both turned to the boy, strange smile still on his face.

"Good morning. I am Piko Utatane," the boy gestured to himself before turning his head towards the girl that sat next to him, "and this is Iroha Nakamura." The redheaded girl sighed before pinching her nose.

"It's _Neko_mura," she corrected, but the white-haired boy ignored her..

"I assume that you two are Miss Ichinose and Sir Nishizawa?" Piko asked, watching in amusement as the two nodded awkwardly.

"Yes, well then.. let me get straight to the point. You two have been informed, more or less, that you will be accompanying us on Project Restart?" They nodded once more.

"Wonderful! I hope you don't have any family or friends that would miss you too much, should you not return!"

Piko kept the smile on his face and Iroha remained looking indifferent towards the entire situation. On the other hand, the two reporters could only stand stiff - they had not anticipated the dread creeping into their systems.

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Author's note on surnames: **Ichi**nose and **Ni**shizawa; without regard to what the surnames actually mean. These two were the ones I was able to think of under short notice.


	3. Waking Up to 'Now' -b

_ch01-b:_ **Waking Up to 'Now'**

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The ruined city lay still as the cold night air blew over it. Small lights flickered through a few windows, as the rest remained in the darkness.

The buildings cast down shadows on the abandoned roads, moonlight occasionally streaming past the roofs. A single figure walked along, lantern in hand.

The figure, a young boy, crept silently; as if wary to disturb any of the city's nonexistent inhabitants.

A small flame lit his way as he continued walking down the familiar paths, Minutes later, he found himself standing outside a decrepit building. Its paint long gone and windows nothing more but broken glass. Going inside, he went straight to the stairs, passing by a lift that had long since broken down.

"I'm back," his coarse voice rang throughout the hall as he set the lantern on the floor. A single brown eye looked around, its counterpart rendered blind by an accident prior (now it hid behind clumsily tied bandages). Bleach blonde hair stuck to his forehead in clumps, with the assistance of dried blood.

"Did you find anything new?" Another voice came from the room on the left. A girl, older than the boy, walked towards him, with her dirty blonde hair swinging behind her in tangled curls. A pair of scruffy feline ears peeked under the mess of hair. Cat-like eyes, glowing a faint blue in the darkness, squinted as she looked around for the boy.

"The Glow surrounding the hospital seems to have dimmed down enough that entry is possible," the boy reported. Before the girl could reply, the boy took a deep breath and continued.

"Entry is possible, but not without protection. This means we have to contact _those_ guys," he spat out the last part of the sentence. The girl rolled her eyes before walking towards the boy.

"Don't worry about that, I'll talk to them. I don't mind most of them anyways, just the one girl," she gave a small smile and the boy sighed.

"It would be alright to go without the proper equipment, but we don't want to risk anymore... mutations," he mumbled tiredly. "God knows we don't need anymore of those," the boy murmured as an afterthought.

"That is, if God even exists," the girl added with a bitter laugh.

"You shouldn't be talking like that around Oliver, See-U," another voice interrupted. A woman with bright red hair and even more vibrantly red eyes stepped into the hall. A smile was on her face, albeit a mirthless one.

"Why shouldn't I?" See-U asked in a childish tone, lips curled into a distasteful frown.

"It's the truth anyways, and you know it," she added. The redhead's protest died on her lips, and See-U gave a small smile.

"It's fine, don't worry about it Cul," Oliver stated, head upturned to gaze at the cracks in the ceiling.

"After all, there's no point in believing in something that won't come through when you need it the most."

The hall kept in silence as the three stood together, and the glow of the lantern gradually started to dim.

A blonde girl stood alone, on top of a balcony overlooking the city, Dull blue eyes stared down at the sight below her, and for a split second, she saw a flash of what had been.

The grip her now grotesque hands had on the railing tightened. Absentmindedly, she noted that the wings on her lower back ruffled a bit. A sigh escaped her lips.

"It really is depressing to look at it, huh?" Another person walked onto the balcony and stood beside her; a boy with features similar to her own. From her normal features, to her mutations.

"Yeah, everything's dead."

"We aren't."

"Do you ever wish we were?"

"Sometimes."

"Why not always?"

"Then that means I wouldn't get to spend anymore time with you," the boy pulled the girl in for a hug, gently patting her head as best he could with the monstrosities he now had for hands. The girl clung to his flimsy shirt, trying her best not to damage it any further.

"Don't worry Rin," the boy spoke comfortingly, "everything's going to get better soon."

"I hope so Len, I hope so."

The blonde twins, too occupied with their hug, failed to notice that for the first night in seventy years, the stars had grown visible again.

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A/N: apologies for this chapter; i would like to inform anyone reading this that the story will be put on an indefinite hiatus of sorts; i am rather disappointed with my writing nowadays, and would like to improve further before continuing.

the story will not be abandoned; i will continue writing it, just not anytime soon.

feel free to unsubscribe from the story, as i'm sure that when the time comes, you'll come across it again when i feel that it's ready.

on another note, i'm looking for a story that i read before: the main character was Yukari, i believe. it was set in some sort of end-of-the-world (?) scenario? i can't really remember much about it.


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